Infinitely layered camouflage

ABSTRACT

A camouflage pattern is provided that appears to have infinite focus and depth of field even at 100 percent size for the elements in the camouflage pattern. Generally, three-dimensional (3D) models of elements to be used in the camouflage pattern are captured or generated. The models are then arranged in a scene with a background (e.g., an infinite background) via 3D graphics editing programs such as is used to render computer generated graphics in video games and movies. A two-dimensional (2D) capture of the scene thus shows all visible surfaces of the elements in the scene in focus at all depths of field. The elements may or may not be shaded by one another from the perspective of the image capture location in the 3D environment.

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the reproduction of the patent document or the patentdisclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patentfile or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING OR COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to camouflaging objects byapplying a camouflage pattern to them via printing, wrapping, orcovering. More particularly, this invention pertains to generatingcamouflage patterns.

Current camouflage patterns are generated by capturing images of anenvironment from a given perspective (e.g., over reed grasses in a duckpond) and repeating that image to generate a never-ending camouflagepattern. The captures images may be edited such as by making irregularor stitching them one to the next to generate the repeating image suchthat breaks between repeating edges are not obvious to an ordinaryobserver of the pattern (or to wildlife viewing the pattern).Alternatively, the repeating image may be synthesized. That is, imagesof elements (e.g., a group of reeds, a clump of grasses, a cattail,etc.) in the environment may be taken, stitched together, and overlaidonto a background to generate the image used as the repeating image inthe never-ending camouflage pattern. Examples of varying versions ofthese techniques may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,208,398; 9,322,620;9,631,900; 9,746,288; 9,835,415; 9,920,464; and 9,952,020.

These image-based techniques appear flat. That is, overhead images of aduck blind look like overhead images of a duck blind that lack depth offield because the focal length of the camera cannot extend through thefield depth of the captured image due to physical limitations of camerasensor size and aperture size. Piecing elements onto a backgroundovercomes some of the depth of field issues because multiple images atdifferent focal points of the elements in the environment may bestitched together in 2-dimensional (2D) image editing software to usethe in-focus portion of each of the images representing the element orobject. For example, 5-10 close up images of a stick at varying focallengths or points may be stitched together to represent a 6 inchdiameter stick about a foot long. Thus, only 5-10 layers, points, orsurfaces on the stick are actually in focus, and there may be even fewerlayers (e.g., 1 or 2) in focus for smaller elements such as leaves. Thecomposite image of the element is generally shrunk by about 50 percentbefore being added to the camouflage pattern's repeating image whichalso forces the element to appear more universally focused (i.e., havingmore layers than it actually does) to an observer. However, at 100percent size, the lack of focus throughout the object and pattern,particularly at different depths of field in the image, becomes evidentto many observers and may begin to be noticed by wildlife.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present invention provide a camouflage pattern appearingto have infinite focus and depth of field even at 100 percent size forthe elements in the camouflage pattern. Generally, three-dimensional(3D) models of elements to be used in the camouflage pattern arecaptured or generated. The models are then arranged in a scene with abackground (e.g., an infinite background) via 3D graphics editingprograms such as is used to render computer generated graphics in videogames and movies. A 2D capture of the scene thus shows all visiblesurfaces of the elements in the scene in focus at all depths of field.The elements may or may not be shaded by one another from theperspective of the captured image in the 3D environment.

In one aspect, a method of making a camouflage pattern includesreceiving a three-dimensional model of a first element. Thethree-dimensional model of the first element is combined with abackground to create a scene. A view of the scene is rendered in atwo-dimensional output format. The rendered view of the scene and thetwo-dimensional output format is the camouflage pattern.

In another aspect, and object has a camouflage pattern thereon or asurface thereof. The camouflage pattern includes a background and afirst element. All visible surfaces at every depth of the first elementare in focus.

In another aspect, a non-transitory computer readable medium hascomputer executable instructions stored thereon representative of animage file. The image file is representative of a camouflage patternincluding a background and a first element. All visible surfaces atevery depth of the first element are in focus when the camouflagepattern is rendered.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a segment of a camouflage pattern (irregularedges or outline of the pattern not shown).

FIG. 2. is an isometric view of an object having the camouflage patternof FIG. 1 thereon.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method of creating an infinitely layeredcamouflage pattern.

Reference will now be made in detail to optional embodiments of theinvention, examples of which are illustrated in accompanying drawings.Whenever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawingand in the description referring to the same or like parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the making and using of various embodiments of the presentinvention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated thatthe present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts thatcan be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specificembodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways tomake and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of theinvention.

To facilitate the understanding of the embodiments described herein, anumber of terms are defined below. The terms defined herein havemeanings as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in theareas relevant to the present invention. Terms such as “a,” “an,” and“the” are not intended to refer to only a singular entity, but ratherinclude the general class of which a specific example may be used forillustration. The terminology herein is used to describe specificembodiments of the invention, but their usage does not delimit theinvention, except as set forth in the claims.

As described herein, an upright position is considered to be theposition of apparatus components while in proper operation or in anatural resting position as described herein. Vertical, horizontal,above, below, side, top, bottom and other orientation terms aredescribed with respect to this upright position during operation unlessotherwise specified. The term “when” is used to specify orientation forrelative positions of components, not as a temporal limitation of theclaims or apparatus described and claimed herein unless otherwisespecified. The terms “above”, “below”, “over”, and “under” mean “havingan elevation or vertical height greater or lesser than” and are notintended to imply that one object or component is directly over or underanother object or component.

The phrase “in one embodiment,” as used herein does not necessarilyrefer to the same embodiment, although it may. Conditional language usedherein, such as, among others, “can,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and thelike, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understoodwithin the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are inany way required for one or more embodiments or that one or moreembodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or withoutoperator input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/orstates are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, a pattern 100 includes a plurality of majorelements. The pattern 100 may be, for example, a camouflage pattern suchas Mossy Oak Breakup. The pattern 100 includes a first major element102, a second major element 104, and a third major element 106. Thepattern 100 may include a background 108 within which the major elements102, 104, and 106 reside and blend into. In the example of Mossy OakBreakup® camouflage, major elements may include, for example, leaves,branches, acorns, sticks, reeds, grass, or dirt. The background 108 maybe, for example, tree bark or a leaf covered ground, or may be anartificially created three-dimensional (3D) infinite background(typically including dirt, tree bark, leaves, snow, moss, etc. and/orpatches of similar colors).

Referring to FIG. 2, an object 200 has a surface 202 to which thepattern 100 has been applied via dip transfer printing, vinyl wrap, ordirect printing. Application of the camouflage pattern 100 to thesurface 202 of the object 200 is shown leaving a void 204, whichsometimes occurs with the dip transfer process. Various methods ofrepairing voids are known in the art. In one embodiment, the camouflagepattern 100 is repeated on the object 200, and the camouflage pattern100 has an irregular outline or parameter. That is, the outline of thecamouflage pattern 100 is not rectangular, but instead includesprotrusions and recesses configured to interlock with one another whenthe image forming the camouflage pattern 100 is repeated. In oneembodiment, the camouflage pattern 100 includes a plurality of elements(102, 104, and 1 of 6), and every visible surface of each of theplurality of elements at every depth of each element is in focus.

Referring to FIG. 3, a method of making a camouflage pattern 300 beginswith receiving a 3D model of a first element 102 at 302. Optionally, a3D model of a second element 104 is received at 304. In one embodiment,receiving the 3D model of the first element 102 includes capturing apoint cloud representative of the first element 102 and calculating awire mesh model of the first element 102 from the captured point cloud.This may be accomplished via a 3D scanner such as the SMARTTECH 3DMicron3D color 24Mpix scanner. In one embodiment, capturing the pointcloud representative of the first element 102 includes using ashadowless or shadeless capture system.

The 3D model of the first element 102 and the 3D model of the secondelement 104 are combined with a background 108 at 306 to create a scene.

At 308, a view of the scene is rendered in a two-dimensional outputformat to generate the camouflage pattern 100. In one embodiment,rendering the view of the scene includes rendering all visible surfacesof the 3D model of the first element 102 in focus. That is, all visiblesurfaces of the 3D model of the first element are rendered with a depthof field exceeding a depth of the 3D model of the first element 102. Inone embodiment, receiving the 3D model of the first element 102 includescapturing surfaces of the first element 102 that do not appear in thecamouflage pattern 100 (because they are not visible from the viewingperspective of the 3D scene rendered in the 2D output format). In oneembodiment, the method 300 further includes printing the rendered viewof the scene on a dip transfer film, a fabric, or a vinyl wrap.

Utilizing a 3D scanner to generate a wire mesh model of the firstelement 102 (and other elements 104, 106) results in a 3D model of thefirst element wanted to wherein every point on the 3D model is in focus,therefore, a camouflage pattern 100 generated based on the 3D model ofthe first element 102 and an infinite background 108 results in acamouflage pattern having an unlimited or infinite number of layers.Practically speaking, each pixel of the camouflage pattern 100 is itsown layer because every point within the 3D model may be a differentdistance from the point of capture (i.e., camera perspective or view),but every point is kept in focus.

Although shown herein (e.g., at FIG. 1) with elements (102, 104, and106) separated from one another, it is contemplated within the scope ofthe claims that the elements (102, 104, and 106) may overlap oneanother, repeat within the two-dimensional image forming the camouflagepattern 100, and appear at different distances from the point of captureor viewpoint of the three-dimensional scene upon which thetwo-dimensional view forming the camouflage pattern 100 is based.Additionally, shadowing within the three-dimensional scene may beeliminated, provided from the point of view of capture of thethree-dimensional scene, or determined from a light source locationdifferent from the point of capture (i.e., viewpoint) of thethree-dimensional scene.

In one embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable medium hascomputer executable instructions stored thereon representative of animage file. The image file is representative of the camouflage pattern100. The camouflage pattern 100 includes a background and a firstelement. All visible surfaces at every depth of the first element are infocus when the camouflage pattern is rendered from the image file.

It will be understood by those of skill in the art that information andsignals may be represented using any of a variety of differenttechnologies and techniques (e.g., data, instructions, commands,information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips may be represented byvoltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles,optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof). Likewise, thevarious illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmsteps described herein may be implemented as electronic hardware,computer software, or combinations of both, depending on the applicationand functionality. Moreover, the various logical blocks, modules, andcircuits described herein may be implemented or performed with a generalpurpose processor (e.g., microprocessor, conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, state machine or combination of computingdevices), a digital signal processor (“DSP”), an application specificintegrated circuit (“ASIC”), a field programmable gate array (“FPGA”) orother programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic,discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed toperform the functions described herein. Similarly, steps of a method orprocess described herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in asoftware module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two.A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory,EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Althoughembodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, itwill be understood by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims

A controller, processor, computing device, client computing device orcomputer, such as described herein, includes at least one or moreprocessors or processing units and a system memory. The controller mayalso include at least some form of computer readable media. By way ofexample and not limitation, computer readable media may include computerstorage media and communication media. Computer readable storage mediamay include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable mediaimplemented in any method or technology that enables storage ofinformation, such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data. Communication media may embody computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other datain a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transportmechanism and include any information delivery media. Those skilled inthe art should be familiar with the modulated data signal, which has oneor more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as toencode information in the signal. Combinations of any of the above arealso included within the scope of computer readable media. As usedherein, server is not intended to refer to a single computer orcomputing device. In implementation, a server will generally include anedge server, a plurality of data servers, a storage database (e.g., alarge scale RAID array), and various networking components. It iscontemplated that these devices or functions may also be implemented invirtual machines and spread across multiple physical computing devices.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention andalso to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention,including making and using any devices or systems and performing anyincorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is definedby the claims, and may include other examples that occur to thoseskilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within thescope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differfrom the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalentstructural elements with insubstantial differences from the literallanguages of the claims

It will be understood that the particular embodiments described hereinare shown by way of illustration and not as limitations of theinvention. The principal features of this invention may be employed invarious embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize numerous equivalentsto the specific procedures described herein. Such equivalents areconsidered to be within the scope of this invention and are covered bythe claims.

All of the compositions and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein maybe made and/or executed without undue experimentation in light of thepresent disclosure. While the compositions and methods of this inventionhave been described in terms of the embodiments included herein, it willbe apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that variations may beapplied to the compositions and/or methods and in the steps or in thesequence of steps of the method described herein without departing fromthe concept, spirit, and scope of the invention. All such similarsubstitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art aredeemed to be within the spirit, scope, and concept of the invention asdefined by the appended claims

Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of thepresent invention of a new and useful INFINITELY LAYERED CAMOUFLAGE, itis not intended that such references be construed as limitations uponthe scope of this invention except as set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of making a camouflage pattern, saidmethod comprising: receiving a three-dimensional (3D) model of a firstelement; combining the 3D model of the first element with a backgroundto create a scene; and rendering a view of the scene in atwo-dimensional (2D) output format, wherein the rendered view of thescene in the 2D output format is the camouflage pattern.
 2. The methodof claim 1, further comprising printing the rendered view of the sceneon a dip transfer film, a fabric, or a vinyl wrap.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein rendering the view of the scene comprises rendering allvisible surfaces of the 3D model of the first element in focus.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein rendering the view of the scene comprisesrendering the visible surfaces of the 3D model of the first element witha depth of field exceeding a depth of the 3D model of the first element.5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a 3D model of asecond element, wherein: the background is a 3D background; saidcombining comprises placing the 3D model of the first element and the 3Dmodel of the second element within the 3D background to create thescene; and said rendering a view of the scene comprises rendering theview of the scene in a two-dimensional (2D) output format, wherein therendered view of the scene in the 2D output format is the camouflagepattern.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the 3D model of thefirst element comprises: capturing a point cloud representative of thefirst element; and calculating a wire mesh of the first element from thecaptured point cloud.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the 3Dmodel of the first element comprises: capturing a point cloudrepresentative of the first element using a shadowless capture system;and calculating a wire mesh of the first element from the captured pointcloud.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the 3D model of thefirst element comprises capturing surfaces of the first element that donot appear in the camouflage pattern.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereinthe background is an infinite background.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein the background is a 3D background having infinite depth.
 11. Anobject having a camouflage pattern thereon, said camouflage patterncomprising: a background; and a first element, wherein all visiblesurfaces at every depth of the first element are in focus.
 12. Theobject of claim 11, wherein the background is an infinite background.13. The object of claim 11, wherein the object is a dip transfer film,fabric, or vinyl wrap.
 14. The object of claim 11, wherein thecamouflage pattern is repeated on the object, and the camouflage patternhas an irregular outline.
 15. The object of claim 11, wherein thecamouflage pattern further comprises a plurality of elements and everyvisible surface of each of the plurality of elements at every depth ofeach element is in focus.
 16. A non-transitory computer readable mediumhaving computer executable instructions stored thereon representative ofan image file, said image file representative of a camouflage pattern,said camouflage pattern comprising: a background; and a first element,wherein all visible surfaces at every depth of the first element are infocus when the camouflage pattern is rendered.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the background is aninfinite background.
 18. The non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 16, wherein the camouflage pattern further comprises a pluralityof elements and every visible surface of each of the plurality ofelements at every depth of each element is in focus when the camouflagepattern is repeated.